Railroad car link-and-pin type coupler



July 27, 1943. w. E. FlEGLE ET AL 2,325,118

RAILROAD CAR LINK-AND-PIN TYPE COUPLER Filed Dec. 19, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS W14 FORD A. F/EGL E000 fgva EH w w r U .w L

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July 27, 1943. w. E. FlEGLE ET AL RAILROAD CAR LINK-AND-PIN TYPE COUPLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 19, 1941 INVENTORS W/L P01?!) 15. F/E

' drawhead I with ltente d July 21, 1943 2,325,118 ammonia can. mn-Ann-rm ma coma I Wilford Eh Fiegle, behn,

Hammond, and Hans Lang- Crown Point, Ind.

\ Application December 19, 1941, Serial No. 423,598-

1 Claim. (or. 213-189) This invention relates to railroad car link-and pin type couplers such as are used, for instance, to couple ingot cars in a steel mill. More specifically, the invention is concerned with improving the drawheads of these couplers so as to'make them more safely used.

A coupler of the type here involved comprises a drawhead having a horizontal surface for the link to rest on when it is inserted in the drawhead, the latter necessarily having the link resting on its surface to accommodate possible vertical and lateral misalignment with a mating drawhead on another car. The drawhead has a vertical pin opening through this'iiat surface, in which the pin rides, the pin having a beveled face so that it is downwardly displaceable when the link is forcibly inserted in the clearance for fulcrums about the point above the drawhead, and being counterweighted so that it is continually urged upwardly. The link rests on its flat surface when it is inserted in the drawhead, with the pin through the pin opening of the link, in an unbalanced condition causing it to droop in a wobbly fashion. Therefore, as

the drawhead approaches a mating drawhead for insertion of the link in the latter, it is necessary to manually raise and position the link so that it will properly enter this mating drawhead, this being true in spite of the fact that the drawheads are provided with flaring mouths for aiding in this operation As is to be expected, many fingers have been lost in carrying out this operation. The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate this unsafe manual positioning of the link.

A specific example of the invention is disclosed by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top view;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal section; and

Fig. 4 is a section from-IV-IV in Fig. 2.

More specifically, these drawings show the its flat surface 2 on which the inserted l'nk 3 rests, thevertical pin opening 4 extending through the surface 2 and the pin 5 riding this opening with its end having its beveled face 6 held in the pin opening I of the link by reason of the pin 5 being counterpoised through a weighted lever 8 which, incidentally, functions as a handle permitting manual downward movement of the pin 5 from a safe position at the sides of approaching cars. The drawhead has a flared mouth 9 leading to the surface 2, and a bufier surface 90. which engages with that of a mating drawhead during coupling operations and carries the car thrust.

- portion having aroller The elements as so far described are those the prior art coupler of this type. The' link 3 In, it being in-an unbalanced condition with a maiorityof its length on the outside of the drawhead beyond this fulcrum point I0. Since, as has been-explained,

clearance must be provided to accommodate mis-' alignment with another drawhead; that is to say, to permit the pin to wobble somewhat, the outside end of the pin droops to such an extent that it cannot properly enter a matingdrawhead in some'instances.

According-to the present invention the drawhead has a vertically swinging lever I I fulcrumed by a trunnion mounting I: to extend backwardly flat link resting surface 2, this lever extending over the surface 2 back into the drawhead from its mouth 9 with a vertically swinging I8 displaceableby and link 3 when it is forced into A coil compression spring ll works between an end of the lever ll, projecting beyond the roller I3, and the top of the drawhead, the latter being in the form of a removable cover plate l5. The flat surface 2 inwardly of the drawhead adjacent the end of the active pin resting portion, has a downward clean-out opening it so that dirt or other obstructions that might enter the drawhead are through this clean-out opening so that the drawhead cannot become blocked. I

In operation, the link 3 is restrained against drooping by the force of the spring ll which functions to provide a counterbalancing force, this keeping the link from fulcruming about the point I. At the same time, it holds the link frictionally down on the flat surface 2 so that it cannot swing laterally with freedom. When the car is in motion, however, the drawhead 3 can work freely to accommodate possible misalignment with the mating drawhead, the spring ll being sumciently elastic to permit this action.

When the drawhead is free of the link and is approached by the a mating drawhead, the advancing end of the link is guided into the drawhead by the flared mouth 9. At this time the lever is in its downward position. As the 'pin continues to enter the drawhead it encounters the roller l3 and raises the lever II, the pin 5 automatically rising and entering the pin opening I of the link 3 as soon as registration is attained. Any dirt or other matter that may be in front of the pin is pushed over the surface engaging with the the drawhead l.

2 so that it falls through the clean-out opening pushed clear I 6, this keeping the drawhead and its working drawhead being characterized by having a vermechanism clear. tically swinging lever fulcrumed above the flat Uncoupling is, of course, simple; the'lever 8 link-resting surface and extending over this surbeing manually raised to withdraw the pin 5 so face back into the drawhead from its mouth with as to free the link 3. It can be appreciated that 5 a vertically swinging portion provided with a coupling operations are in a very simple manner roller displaceable by and engaging with the link made o p e y automatic and that manual when it is forced into the drawhead, and a spring positioning of the link 3, with its attendant for elastically urging this lever downwardly onto danger, is no longer necessary. the top of the link when it is inserted in the We cla m! 10 drawhead with the pin in the-link pin opening,

A railroad car link-andl-pin type coupler drawthe spring having suificient strength to counterhead having a horizontal flat surface for the link balance the link against tilting on it flat to rest on when inserted in the drawhead, and face when its other end is not inserted in a a vertical pin opening extending through said mating drawhead, the flat surface inwardlyof surface adjacent the mouth of the drawhead with 15 the drawhead adjacent the end of its active pin a link-depressible vertical pin riding in this resting portion having a downward clean-out opening and having means for urging it upwardly opening.

so it automatically enters the link pin opening WILFORD E. FIEGLE. when the link is forced into the drawhead, the HANS LANGBEHN. 

